Field Hockey

Offensive Attack Gets Bears Back on Track

Providence, RI -
Senior forward Stacy Gugliotta (East Falmouth, MA) scored a career-high three goals as the Brown field hockey team (8-5, 3-2) defeated Bucknell, 5-2, on Warner Roof Sunday afternoon. The five-goal output matches the Bears' combined scoring total from the last five games and ends the team's three-game losing streak.

Bruno went on the offensive early and often, creating several scoring opportunities. At the 14:35 mark in the first half, it appeared that the Bears had scored first when the ball was popped into the air and batted past the Bucknell goalkeeper. However, the referees correctly reversed their initial ruling of a goal, saying the Brown player's stick had been too high when she swung at the ball.

The Bears finally did score the opening goal at 21:02. Sophomore midfielder Victoria Sacco (Madison, NJ) sent a hard cross from the right side that Gugliotta corralled right in front of the net and drove home for an easy goal. The Bison came right back with a goal of their own, however, as a diving Katie Urosevich drove a cross past junior goalkeeper Kristen Hodavance (Emmaus, PA) just over two minutes later.

It looked like the teams would go into the half tied until senior tri-captain Samantha Lloyd (Shavertown, PA) got Brown a lead with 1:12 remaining. Lloyd stole the ball from a Bucknell defender just inside the circle and fired a blistering shot from the right side that found the back of the net.

Bruno took momentum from that goal out of the intermission and continued attacking the Bucknell goal. The Bears had a pair of chances right around the 40:00 mark that they were unable to convert before breaking through again at 42:35. Junior Andrea Posa (Weston, MA), Brown's leading scorer, fought her way around a Bison defender, had her shot blocked, collected her rebound, and drove a strong shot home from the right side for her ninth goal of the year.

The Bears continued peppering the Bucknell net with shots, with Gugliotta scoring twice more. At the 51:45 mark, she wound up from about 10 feet in front of the net and blew a shot by the Bison goalie. With 4:42 remaining, she took a penalty corner that was adeptly passed around the circle from Sacco to Lloyd on the right side. Lloyd crossed it into the slot, where Gugliotta one-timed it home for her eighth score of the season. A Bucknell goal off a penalty corner with 2:32 on the clock ended the scoring, but the game was well in hand for Brown by that point.

Hodavance needed to make just three stops for the Bears, who out-shot Bucknell 19-6 and held a 5-3 advantage on penalty corners. Brown will play at Holy Cross Wednesday, which will be the team's final non-Ivy League game.